New Defamation Bill to be published in 2011 to enhance freedom of expression

The new Coalition Government has announced that it is going to overhaul the UK’s defamation laws with a Bill in 2011. The existing UK laws are largely seen as some of the most pro-claimant in the world when it comes to defamation cases. This therefore encourages people who claim that their reputations have suffered to issue proceedings in the UK, even if they are based overseas. This is a practice known as ‘libel tourism’. The Government is concerned that the current state of affairs is hampering freedom of expression, particularly in relation to academic and scientific debate. As yet, there is no definite indication as to what the Bill will contain, although a Liberal Democrat proponent of a change in the law has called for a new Defamation Bill to make the law more certain and narrow the breadth of protection for people claiming defamation.